SE P T E M B E R/ OC T O B E R 2 0 1 2 (Continued on Page 8) (Continued from Page 4) instead privatizing RTP-1, the main public TV network, but, reportedly, only to achieve the reduced goal of privatizing the second public network. Since the license fee will remain in place even if RTP-1 is privatized and the savings will be limited to the state’s direct contribution, critics see the real reason as a ploy to mute political opposition to Portugal’s prime minister, 48-year-old Pedro Passos Coelho of the center-right Social Democratic Party. Local U.S. TV Election Gold According to a Wells Fargo Securities report on political TV ads in the U.S., campaigns spent $765.6 million on TV by the end of last July. Over 75.7 percent of that — $579.6 million — went to local stations. Of the local total so far in 2012, 42.5 percent was for presidential campaigns, 21.8 percent for ballot initiatives, 18.6 percent for Senate races, 7.6 percent for House contests, five percent for gubernatorial races, and 4.4 percent for other. The top TV markets measured in dollars-spent are Cleveland ($24.8 million); Los Angeles ($20.6 million); Tampa ($19.4 million); Washington, D.C. ($18.2 million); and Las Vegas ($17.2 million) —with much of the cash going to TV outlets owned by FOX, CBS, NBC, Sinclair, and Disney. The report noted that these cities typically end up on top because of their size, not because they have the most contentious races, and that it’s more revealing to look at political spending relative to the total ad sales in the market. By that measure, Wausau, Wisconsin is on top with election ads accounting for 16.9 percent of total market revenue. It’s followed by La Crosse, Wisconsin (15.9 percent); Sioux City, Iowa (15 percent); Zanesville, Ohio (13.7 percent); Charlottesville, Virginia (11.9 percent); and Great Fall, Montana (11.9 percent) — especially TV stations owned by Sinclair, Gray Television, and Gannett. The report predicted that total political ad spending in 2012 would be more than eight percent versus the various 2010 elections, with 56 percent going to broadcast TV. The New York Times noted that, in addition to the above figures, committees, non-profit groups (Political Action Committees or PACs that do not have to file with the Federal Election Commission) and other super PACs have spent at least $65 million on television advertising, with almost all of it against President Barack Obama or in support of presidential candidate Mitt Romney. These latest expenditures brought the recorded total to $830.6 million in July. Dance Show Airs on Facebook A Chance to Dance, a reality series from the British producers of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, was released this summer on both Facebook and the Santa Monica, California-based cable network Ovation. The move to simultaneously offer the show on cable and the social media site indicates that cable networks see Facebook as an ally rather than a competitor, without fearing audience cannibalization. For the reality show (whose genre has little after-life), Ovation took advantage of the buzz created by the social media site. Facebook users paid $1.99 per episode or they could buy a full season, sevenepisode bundle for $11.99. However, aside from an advertising campaign Ovation carried out on Facebook, the social networking site didn’t see any revenue from the deal. Facebook users also had access to exclusive footage and interviews withA Chance to Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe. The show is distributed internationally by Shine. Zodiak’s Plans Revealed European newspapers reported the future plans of Zodiak, the London-based, Italian-owned entertainment company that operates in 17 countries with 45 companies. According to the Italian dailyIl Fatto Quotidiano, among others, the owner, De Agostini Group, is anxious to take the entertainment company public with a market capitalization goal of £1 billion (U.S.$1.6 billion). Previous accounts indicated that De Agostini would like to unload Zodiak (the way Italy’s Mediaset did with Endemol). Last month, U.K. daily The Telegraph V I D E O • A G E 6
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